University Catalog > Courses > Computational Social Science (CSS)

Computational Social Science (CSS)

Center for Social Complexity, Office of the Provost

600 Introduction to Computational Social Science (3:3:0). Graduate level introduction to computational concepts, principles, and modeling approaches in the social sciences, with an emphasis on simulations and elements of complexity theory as these apply to social phenomena. Survey includes systems dynamics, cellular automata, and agent-based models.

605 Object-Oriented Modeling in Social Science (3:3:0). Prerequisite or co-requisite: CSS 600 or approval by instructor and program director. Presents and applies concepts and principles from the object-based modeling paradigm. Emphasis on the Unified Modeling Language (UML) as a tool for rendering the structure and operation of complex social systems and processes.

610 Computational Analysis of Social Complexity (3:3:0). Prerequisite: CSS 600 or permission of instructor. Provides a hands-on examination of agent-based models in the social sciences by examining and experimenting with a variety of social simulation projects conducted in modeling environments such as Swarm, Repast, Ascape, and the university's own MASON (Multi-Agent Simulator Of Networks and Neighborhoods).

620 Origins of Social Complexity (3:3:0). Prerequisite or corequisite: CSS 600 or permission of instructor. Examines when, where, and how social complexity first emerged in human societies, with an emphasis on long-term analysis and comparative information processing in four civilizations of the ancient world: West Asia, East Asia, Andean Peru, and Mesoamerica.

625 Complexity Theory in the Social Sciences (3:3:0). Prerequisite: CSS 600. Examines social phenomena like language, terrorism, the Internet, warfare, and wealth, that is based on power laws and far-from-equilibrium nonlinear dynamics. Emphasis on data analysis, modeling, and interpreting complexity-theoretic dynamics.

630 Comparative Computational Social Science (3:3:0). Prerequisite: CSS 600. Application of the comparative method for analyzing different types of computational models in the social sciences. Strong cross-domain and interdisciplinary emphasis, akin to comparative economic systems, comparative government, or comparative linguistics.

635 Cognitive Foundations of Computational Social Science (3:3:0). Prerequisite: CSS 600, CSS 610, or permission of instructor. Examines cognitive foundations and information processing in computational social agents and compares to comparable human cognitive phenomena, including emotions, trust, and reciprocity. Emphasis on modeling project.

640 Human and Social Evolutionary Complexity (3:3:0). Prerequisite: CSS 600, 620, and permission of instructor. Examines the long-term evolution of human and societal complexity from a global, cross-cultural perspective, with an emphasis on computational aspects leading towards today's globalization. Global history from the computational social science perspective.

650 Physics Methods for Analyzing Social Complexity (3:3:0). Prerequisite: CSS 600 and permission of instructor. Survey of complexity-theoretic tools including strange attractors, Ising models, correlation functions, ergodic theory, power spectra, meanfield theory, renormalization group. Emphasis on application to social, economic, or political systems.

655 Social Systems Dynamics (3:3:0)Prerequisite: CSS 600. Introduction to systems dynamics modeling of social systems governed by levels/rates or stocks/flows processes, with applications such global modeling, terrorism, urban dynamics, organizations, social and international conflict.

660 Computational Social Science of Spacefaring Civilization (3:3:0). Prerequisite: CSS 600, 610, and permission of instructor. Focus on goals, resources, history and modeling issues concerning human and social dimensions of the space program using CSS. Design and development of socially viable human communities in extreme environments.

692 Social Network Analysis (3:3:0). Prerequisite: CSS 600. Methods and applications that examine complex social systems based on relations, structures, connectivity, matrix representations, location, roles, interactions and other network properties. Applications to terrorism, cognition, organizations, and other social phenomena.